Boston Globe Calling on President Trump to Keep His Word by Extending TPS for Haitians

U.S. newspapers continue to press on the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 50, 000 Haitians who are living in the United States legally. In its April 24 editorial, the Boston Globe calls on President Donald Trump to keep his words. Last fall during a campaign rally in Miami’s Little Haiti, then candidate Trump told Haitian-Americans that he wanted “to be their biggest champion” whether they voted for him or not. Additionally, the Boston Globe countered the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, James McCament’s report in which he stated that “things have improved enough in Haiti to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.” The paper reminded Mr. McCament that “Conditions have not improved — if anything, the situation is more dire.” As many news outlets already did, the Boston Globe urged the Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to prolong TPS for Haitians.

Renew Protected Status for Haitians

Marie Louise Valentin wept in front of her destroyed home in October 2016 after Hurricane Matthew battered the island.PATRICK FARELL/MIAMI HERALD/AP/FILE

Editorial, The Boston Globe

April 24, 2017

THERE WAS AT least one immigrant group that President Trump didn’t demonize relentlessly while he was campaigning for the White House.

“Whether you vote for me or not, I really want to be your biggest champion,” he said to a group of Haitian-Americans in Miami’s Little Haiti last fall.

Now the Haitian community is about to find out how serious Trump really was. In July, about 50,000 Haitians living in the United States will see their temporary protected status expire. The designation is part of a federal immigration relief program granted to citizens of certain countries with deteriorating conditions caused by armed conflicts, natural disasters, or health epidemics. As long as the designation remains in place, the Haitians it covers are protected from deportation and issued work permits.